Who Finance – Loans and financial advice.

How to Decide on a Food Budget

Sticking to a budget can be really important for many people. It will ensure that you will have enough money to pay for everything. Many of us face big bills for all sorts of things such as loan repayments from no credit check loans you’ve take out in the past, rent, utilities and contracts and it can be difficult to change the amount that we pay for these. However, food is something, that although we all need it, it can vary in price. The amount that we buy as well as the cost of those items will buy can vary and so we may be able to change how much we spend. If we want to be careful with the amount of money that we are spending, we might decide that we would like to set a budget. This can help us to restrain our spending and make sure that we do not spend more than we should be. However, it can be difficult to know exactly how much to set the budget at.

Look at what you can afford

To start with, you will need to find out how much you can afford. If you look at how much money you normally spend on all of your essentials and then calculate what you will have left in a typical month, this will allow you to work out how much you have left to pay for things like food. Remember that there will be other things to pay for as well such as clothes, gifts, fuel and travel and other luxuries. Therefore, do not use all of your remaining money to buy food with. Just use some of it so that you have some left for other things.

Look at what you normally spend

Looking at how much you normally spend, both on food and other items should help you a lot. If the plan is to reduce how much you are spending, then knowing what you spend at the moment is really useful. Then you will know where you are starting from and be able to aim for less that this amount. Deciding how much to cut down by can be tricky. It can be worth scrutinising exactly what you are buying to work out whether you can easily cut back.

Consider whether you can cut back

If you only buy basic food, then it may be very difficult for you to cut back. However, most of us do not do this and we buy a big range of food and drink which includes many items that we do not need. It might be that we throw food away, that we buy lots of unnecessary snacks, that we buy drinks which we can go without or that we buy luxury food products that we could replace with more basic things. Many of us, for example, will buy some processed foods and these can often be more expensive than preparing your own.

It might also be the case that you are buying luxury brands or shopping at expensive supermarkets. It is worth comparing prices to see whether you can continue to buy the things that you want and need but without paying out so much money. It will depend on whether other supermarkets stock the products you need and which ones you have based close to where you live or work. If you end up shopping at one further away, remember to factor in the cost of the fuel to get there.

Doing all of this research should help you to decide what to set as a sensible food budget. However, do remain flexible as if you feel that you have set the budget too small and you have money to spare then you may feel you should spend more. However, you might feel that it is a bit high as you can afford lots of treats and so you might decide to reduce it. You will find that there will be certain times of the year when you spend more such as special occasions such as birthdays and Christmas or when the weather is hot and you buy more drinks or cold and you feel like eating bigger portions. This is why it is important to stay flexible and you might want to make sure that you are ready to change your budget if necessary. It might mean that you have to cut back elsewhere and so it could be wise to have an idea of where you might be able to do this. You do not have to cut back immediately but if you are in a situation where you need to, then you will know where you can. This is important as it will mean that you can avoid having to borrow money or dig into your savings which is likely to be something that you will not want to do. If you do end up spending less than your budget it could be wise to put that money into a savings account so that you will have it available to spend if you do have a more expensive month in the future.

Tips for Finding a better Paid Job

By adminLeave a Comment

If you are feeling like you are short of money, perhaps because you want to repay a loan, save more money or are finding it hard to make ends meet, then it could be a good idea to see if you can find a better paid job. It can be tricky to do this, but if you can work for the same number of hours but get more money, it means that you will be able to get more money more easily than using other methods. There are various things that you can try and below are a few examples

Apply for a pay rise

Trying to get a pay rise for your current job is probably the easiest way that you can get more money. This is because you will not have to work any more hours or make a great deal of effort to get it. Obviously, you will need to investigate what the procedure is at your company to apply for a pay rise. You will also have to be prepared to prove that you deserve that rise. This means that you will need to perform really well in your job, show that you are willing to be helpful and keen and possibly even work a few extra hours for free. Obviously, what you can do will depend on the job that you do, but if you just try to be friendly and helpful that is certain to look positive for you. Make sure that you complete all the necessary paperwork which will enable you to be considered for a pay rise.

Apply for a promotion

You may find that in some companies, the only way to get an increase in pay is to get promoted. This might be a tricky thing to achieve, but it could be worth a try. Find out how you go about applying for a promotion and then think about what you might need to do to secure your chances. It will be a good idea to try to demonstrate that you are worthy of that promotion. This could be by taking more responsibility in your job, being more helpful or showing some of the skills that are necessary for the role you are being promoted into. It can be worth trying to talk to anyone you know that has been promoted in a similar way to see what might be required.

Do some training

It might be that doing some training could help you to get better paid. This might happen just because you have more knowledge or you may have to prove that you have the skills to be moved to a better paid job. It is always wise to make sure that any training will lead to a better position at work if you are paying for that training. Find out what sorts of skills or qualifications are needed and will be helpful to make sure that you get the training that will work for that. If work are paying for the training, then you might as well take advantage as having that course on your CV could help you to get a job elsewhere if necessary. Do make sure that you work hard though and pass the courses that you do. Otherwise you will not get good value for money for the money that you have spent on the course if you have paid or you will be wasting your time. If the company have paid and you do not pass it may actually make you less likely to get a promotion rather than more likely.

Apply for jobs outside of your company

It might be the case that the only way that you can get a pay rise is to change companies. This can be a harder thing to do as you will have to relocate, work with a new group of people and have the whole hassle of looking or work and having job interviews. However, if you really need more money, then it can be the only way that you can get it. It will be up t you to decide whether you think that the hassle of moving jobs will be worth it. You may, of course, not be that keen on your job and therefore changing it could be a good thing anyway.

Many advertised jobs will not have a salary listed on the advertisement and it will be up to you to negotiate one once you get offered the job. This can be a really tricky thing to do. It is worth having a figure in mind and thinking of how you can prove that you are worth it. Obviously, you will want more than you are currently getting and you can tell your prospective employers that you are only prepared to move for a rise. However, it is wise to come up with some other reasons as to why you think you are worth that much money. Refer to skills and qualification as well as the work experience that you have when you are justifying the amount that you feel you should be paid. This should help your cause.